Recruitment Consultant

This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Auriga Space is revolutionizing propulsion by developing electromagnetic launch systems that offer significant advantages in launch cost, reliability, frequency, and responsiveness compared to rockets. Role Summary: Auriga is seeking an experienced Recruiter to partner with us on a consulting basis and build the team behind our electromagnetic launch systems. We are hiring across engineering, manufacturing, technician, and business functions, and we need a recruiter who can run full-cycle search independently, source passive candidates in a competitive Southern California aerospace market, and represent Auriga credibly to senior technical talent. This is a hybrid engagement based out of our Garden Grove, CA facility, with regular onsite time to work side by side with hiring managers and to help candidates experience the shop floor. Engagement structure and weekly hours are flexible and will be defined with the selected consultant. The ideal candidate has recruited for aerospace, defense, or advanced manufacturing companies, understands ITAR and clearance constraints, and is comfortable operating with startup speed and ambiguity. Key Responsibilities: Run full-cycle recruiting for open roles across engineering, manufacturing and technician, and business and G&A functions, from intake through offer acceptance and start date. Partner with hiring managers and leadership on intake meetings to define role requirements, must-have versus nice-to-have criteria, target candidate profiles, and realistic market expectations. Proactively source and engage passive candidates through direct outreach, referrals, professional networks, industry events, and targeted market mapping of Southern California aerospace and defense talent. Screen candidates for technical fit, motivation, compensation alignment, and ITAR or export control eligibility, and present calibrated shortlists rather than high-volume resume flow. Coordinate and drive the interview process, including scheduling, interviewer preparation, structured scorecards, debriefs, and timely candidate communication. Manage offer strategy and negotiation in partnership with leadership, including compensation benchmarking, equity conversations, and closing candidates against competing offers. Maintain accurate, organized records in the applicant tracking system, and keep pipeline status and hiring metrics visible to leadership. Advise on job description quality, sourcing strategy, interview structure, and candidate experience, and help improve how Auriga hires as we scale. Support compliance in the hiring process, including consistent and defensible screening practices and appropriate handling of candidate data. Represent Auriga in the local talent market at meetups, university and trade school pipelines, industry events, and through employer branding activity. Basic Qualifications: 5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, including in-house, agency, embedded, or RPO settings. Demonstrated success hiring technical roles such as mechanical, electrical, power electronics, or manufacturing engineers, as well as skilled technicians and machinists. Strong proactive sourcing skills, with a track record of closing passive candidates who were not actively looking. Working knowledge of ITAR and U.S. person hiring restrictions and how they shape a candidate pipeline. Proficiency with an applicant tracking system Excellent written and verbal communication, and the credibility to hold a substantive conversation with senior engineers and executives. Able to work independently, set priorities, and deliver results with minimal process and supervision. Located in the Orange County or greater Los Angeles area, and available to work onsite in Garden Grove, CA on a hybrid schedule. Desired Qualifications: Recruiting experience at an aerospace, defense, space, or advanced manufacturing company, ideally a venture-backed startup or scale-up. Experience recruiting cleared talent and familiarity with security clearance levels and processing timelines. Existing network within the Southern California aerospace and defense talent market. Experience building recruiting infrastructure from an early stage, including ATS implementation, interview scorecards, and hiring manager training. Familiarity with OFCCP, EEO, and California employment law considerations as they apply to recruiting and hiring, including pay transparency requirements. Experience with skilled trades pipelines such as vocational schools, apprenticeship programs, and veteran hiring channels. Comfort discussing technical work at a level sufficient to screen candidates and to tell the Auriga story credibly. Passion for advanced manufacturing and next-generation space and defense systems. Independent consulting or contract engagement, with structure, term, and weekly hours to be agreed with the selected candidate. Hybrid, with regular onsite presence at our Garden Grove, CA facility and the balance of the week remote. Potential to expand scope or transition to a longer-term arrangement based on results and mutual fit. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. More details on ITAR are available on the U.S. Department of State's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls website. Equal Opportunity Employer: Auriga provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment at Auriga, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. #J-18808-Ljbffr